Beta's: 5/8/2015

Proud to have Muggledad's hand in this chapter. I can honestly say that I enjoyed this chapter when I wrote it, but freaking love it now more than ever. Thanks for the help.

Chapter 5 Worries and Woe's

Harry sat with his back against an old oak tree overlooking a measureless valley. He hadn't really been paying much attention to where they were going earlier except that they were heading northwest; mostly heading toward the Great Lakes.

After talking about it for some time, the teenaged couple decided not to go to Salem. For one, it was too obvious a place for them to go. Moreover, they wanted to get away for a bit. Deciding to take a risk, they were going to the Great Lakes area where Hermione had mentioned Professor Vector's knew someone who lived in retirement.

When they had landed a few minutes ago he had simply felt the need to take in the scenery. Sharing the spectacular scene, Hermione was tucked into his side. The sun was slowly creeping along, shining its light over the forested landscape. The green of the treetops stretched up and almost seem to brush along the pale blue sky in the distance. It was gorgeous and peaceful as they sat there with the rustling of the light wind and the song of the birds about them. It was also exactly what Harry needed at the moment.

Since their visit to Arlington National Cemetery a few days before, he really hadn't been talking much. His mind was burdened with the Prophecy Dumbledore had thrust on him after his Godfather died. It wasn't that he believed in the stupid thing; he was afraid of it. Harry as absolutely positive this Prophecy was the reason for why his life was so utterly and completely fucked outside of the young woman at his side.

It was obvious that Dumbledore believed in the validity of the Prophecy. It was also obvious by his actions that Voldemort believed in it, as well. Up until they had arrived in America, Harry'd managed to put the blasted thing behind him. There are little things that happen in a person's life that completely change everything. Meeting Hagrid had been the first that Harry could remember. Hermione and her role in his life was probably the most important thing to ever happen to him.

Reading the Declaration of Independence, standing on top of the Statue of Liberty, and visiting Arlington National Cemetery in quick succession had the same effect on Harry. Everything changed. Now the damn Prophecy wouldn't leave his mind and it seemed to plague his every thought. It all came down to the fact that as long as Voldemort believed Harry was his fated Nemesis; he would continue to hunt The Boy-Who-Lived.

Those thoughts brought his real concerns to the fore. His guilt was eating at his gut because he hadn't told Hermione the truth yet. She knew something was wrong and she had pushed him a few times to talk about it. He'd been so scared of losing her; he couldn't bring himself to reveal this ugly truth.

After all, who would want a boyfriend marked for death; either the killer or the killed? Who would descend into this madness willingly? Just being his lover marked her for death almost as certainly as it did him. His thoughts had circled in this whirlpool of guilt and fear for some time now. He was torn between his need of her and fear for her safety.

His thoughts were shattered when he heard Hermione's voice sound in his ear. "Are you going to tell me about the Prophecy now Harry?"

His entire body tensed and he knew she felt it, being entwined with him as she was. Slowly he turned a bit to see her facing him with a determined look in her eye. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about that bloody prophecy. He cursed himself when his voice broke as he replied, "Wha…what are you talking about?"

He could tell she was fighting not to roll her eyes. "You know, the Prophecy we tried to save? I know it was broken, Neville told me but you still know it. I'm not stupid Harry."

She didn't sound angry, nor did she look angry, but he knew she was furious he had not told her yet. He couldn't tell her, didn't she know that? He was terrified what her reaction would be. Who in their right mind, hell who in any state of mind would want to be with someone who had the proverbial death sentence hanging over them? She'd leave him; he knew it and couldn't blame her if she did. He loved her, she was his everything. If that was what she wanted, he wouldn't deny her that, but he had hoped to at least delay it for longer than this.

"What makes you think I know it?" He again cursed his unstable voice. She finally turned to look him in the eyes and he knew his stalling did not fool her.

Hermione reasoned, "S.P.T.: Sibyll Patricia Trelawney. A.P.W.B.D.: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Really, Dumbledore's initials are quite unique. After you told me that she had made a real prediction in third year and about Dumbledore's reaction to it, it wasn't hard to put the pieces together, love. It was about Voldemort and you. I remember that much from before the battle broke out. Since it was made to the Headmaster, he could have told you sooner or later and judging by how you were acting after your visit with him in his office, I assume he told you then. His timing was absolutely atrocious, but that's neither here nor there."

Harry took a gulp of air trying to calm his frayed nerves. There was no use in denying it anymore. She already knew and he couldn't lie to her if he tried. In a weak voice that was almost carried off by the wind he spoke. "It's him or me…If I don't kill him, he'll kill me…"

He was expecting pity, or sadness from her. What he saw in her eyes though was neither. It was resignation. It was as if she had already figured that out, but just needed the proof from him. He was so lost in the revelation he almost didn't hear her speaking. "You thought I would leave you didn't you?"

Surprised he blinked. "You…You're not?"

Hermione slowly sighed while shaking her head. "Of course not my love. 'Me and you, always' remember?" Harry nodded, dumbfounded.

Fighting tears he clutched to her drawing her as close as he could. Feeling reassured by her words, he murmured into her hair, "Thank you so much, I was scared you'd leave. I wouldn't have stopped you either. I felt like I was losing my mind…"

"Sometimes you have to lose your mind before you come to your senses." She quoted, though Harry couldn't place the source.

Harry couldn't help it but gave a watery chuckle at her words still holding her to him. "So when does the coming to your senses take place? I've been waiting for a while."

Hermione chuckled in return. "Maybe you're still lost in the madness then."

Giddy with the knowledge she was not going to abandon him like he feared he quipped, "Oh good. For a moment I was worried I might have missed my stop."

They shared a laugh for a bit, which finally lifted the tension that had been between them since their visit to Arlington. As he held her to him he couldn't help but confess. "I can't beat him Hermione. You didn't see him and Dumbledore stand toe to toe. It was like watching two titans having a go at each other. You could feel the power rolling off both of them…"

Hermione leaned back from him taking his face in her gentle hands. "We'll find a way Harry. We'll figure something out." They sat there for some time just looking into each other's eyes, each absorbing the love the other had for them.

"Afternoon," a deep voice boomed, causing both of them to jump apart. "Keep your hands where we can see them. No need for either of you to get hurt," the voice cautioned.

Turning, Harry took in the two wizards who had been behind them. Neither was dressed in robes but there were other clues as to their identity. The obvious giveaway was that both had wands pointed at them. For another, both where dressed in dragon leather from neck to toe. Judging by their body language both men were well used to dangerous situations.

He began to feel his blood pump quickly through him as his gut started clenching. He didn't like this situation at all. "What do you want with us?" he asked as he positioned himself in front of Hermione. He knew it really didn't matter, but he felt better partially shielding her from the two men in front of them.

The second man tilted his head but addressed his companion instead of answering Harry's question. "I don't know Mark. He looks about right. Still, won't do to inconvenience a couple of kids if he's not him. Get his I.D."

The first man nodded and addressed Harry. "We're looking for a young man named Harry Potter. My name is Mark Daniels, my partner is Jason Baxter. We are fully trained Hit Wizards, so make no mistake we are very capable of defending ourselves in case you get some ridiculous idea of attacking us. You look like the description of the young man we have been assigned to apprehend. Cooperate with us and there won't be any trouble. Now, hand over your I.D. please."

Keeping his movement slowed Harry reached into his back pocket for his wallet. He handed it over to the first man after he had extracted it. This was not an unanticipated circumstance, but this was the first instance where their defense against it was tested.

Hermione was the next to speak after a tension filled moment. "Why are you looking for this 'Harry Potter?"

While the first man was looking through Harry's wallet the second answered. "Supreme Mugwump, Albus Dumbledore of the International Confederation of Wizards posted a reward for his apprehension. Seems Mr. Potter got himself kidnapped by a young woman, whose description you match. She has reputedly beguiled him with love potions. Mr. Potter's guardian is concerned for his welfare."

Hermione snorted. After a sidelong glance at his lover, he noticed she seemed quite offended with the idea she used potions on Harry. For his part Harry was more worried about the current situation. Apparently, Dumbledore had longer arms than he gave him credit for. Concerned for his welfare… Yeah right. Concerned his sacrificial lamb got out of his pen is more like.

"So, who are you?" asked the man who introduced himself as Mark.

Distracted by his thoughts and current situation Harry replied vaguely, "Just a happy go lucky tourist out to see a bit of the world."

The man named Mark snorted at Harry's comment. "Is that why you've got five passports, from five different countries, in five different names?"

Harry blinked. He had forgotten to remove the other documents from his wallet when he left the British branch of Gringotts. Silently cursing his own stupidity, he tried to half-heartedly smile before he quipped, "Kept trying for a good picture."

Slightly behind him he heard Hermione moan - not in the way he liked either. The tension spiked to new levels as the four stood in a dead silence.

"Alright Mr. Potter. Come along now…"

He got no further as Hermione, who had drawn her wand using Harry's body as cover, encanted, "Avis!"

Reacting out of instinct both Hit Wizards brought up shield charms. Unfortunately this did nothing to stop the flock of canary yellow birds that flew up and over the shield before they began attacking the men.

Not wasting any time, Harry grabbed Hermione by the hand and dove through the foliage heading to where they had left the bike.

They had only managed to get about ten feet, when the area about them erupted in small explosions. Harry pulled his girlfriend to the ground just as a sickly yellow beam of light shot past them. When Harry looked up to see what the spell was, he blanched.

Completely oblivious to what the spell was, he did see that it was bad enough to completely shatter the trunk of a two-foot wide tree. Harry ducked his head down into Hermione trying to protect her from the hundreds of branches that whipped about the area as the once silent woodland cried with the noise of the fallen tree.

"Damn it Mark, We have to take him alive! There won't be any reward for him dead!"

"Shut your fucking mouth Jason, I wasn't aiming at the little bastard, I was aiming at that bitch!"

Harry rose up a bit and looked down at his lover. "You okay?" he whispered.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, what's the plan?" her voice was a bit shaken from the close shave.

"We need to get to the bike. Any ideas?"

Hermione thought for a moment while Harry kept his ear on the two arguing Hit Wizards. After only a few moments she spoke up. "Summon the bike; I'll see if I can keep them pinned down."

Harry shouted the Summoning spell and waited as he willed the bike to come to him. He'd never Summoned something so heavy and he could feel the drain on his magic as he heard it crashing through the brush. Behind him he heard Hermione conjuring and banishing things toward their foes. Their yells of displeasure as they learned how accurate she was at doing it made him smile.

After only a few moments the bike came skidding sideways next to them. Harry shook his head at it. It was quite beaten up. Being dragged through the bushes, over the uneven terrain and who knew what else will do that to a piece of machinery, enchanted or not. Trusting the fallen tree behind him to be cover enough, he threw his leg over the bike and kicked it to life. Hermione wasted no time jumping on the back the second it was running. Once she had a good grip on him he pulled the throttle back rocketing them through the forest and hopefully leaving behind the Hit Wizards that were trying to capture him.

For the next few moments both teens lived a harrowing ride. Harry pushed the bike as fast as he could, well above what he was sure would ever be recommended for this type of terrain. They tore through the forest until they came across what he assumed was an old game trail. Taking it as the break they needed, they leaned together taking the turn at speed and jetted down the new open area. It was at this point that several things began to go dreadfully wrong.

Hermione shrieked behind him. A loud 'pop' sounded as one of the Hit Wizards appeared and started casting Stunning spells at them. Harry swerved as best he could to avoid the beams of eldritch fire. Vaguely, as if from far away, he heard Hermione shouting the incantations of various spells. The Blasting curse, the Explosion hex, the Bone Breaking curse. None of them were of the 'easily reversible' kind which they had used at the Ministry. Far more worrisome to Harry, he realized the brakes had failed on the bike.

He pumped the rear brake and then squeezed the front lightly at first trying to control their speed but then with greater force when the realization hit him that the brakes were useless. Fuck! Must have happened when I Summoned it…

As they barreled along the game trail Harry took note that Hermione managed to stop one of the Hit Wizards. The question of whether he was dead or not didn't really occur to Harry. Later, he would wonder about his lack of caring, but he was a bit preoccupied at the moment. They had stopped appearing in front of them and that's what mattered the most to him at that moment. Shortly, he heard Hermione's panicked voice sound close in his ear, "Slow down Harry!"

He could feel her arm holding him in a death grip. Just…just need to get to more open ground…yeah… Harry allowed the throttle to pull back to no avail. He, too, began to panic when the bike refused to cut its speed. He pulled hard on the throttle again with no result. Coming to the realization that the throttle was stuck on top of the failure of the breaks, he began to curse under his breath. His heart was hammering in his chest as the full import of what was happening hit him.

Not knowing what else to do Harry chanced one more look at his girlfriend. "I love you!"

He saw Hermione's eyes widen as she seemed to read their plight in his eyes. Her arm seemed to clutch tighter to him when he heard her reply in his ear. "I love you too Harry!"

Suddenly, they heard a shout from their right and the ground seemed to explode underneath them. The out of control bike lifted off the ground slightly twisting sideways. Both teens screamed when they crashed through a bush that had hidden a small cliff face. The sounds of their shrieking resounded off the cliff as they plummeted thirty feet to the tree tops below.

XxXDaRXxX

"They had to have landed somewhere around here," muttered the Hit Wizard.

His partner only grunted while looking about with a determined eye as he cradled a broken arm. Evidence of something crashing through the area was there to see, but so far they'd found no bodies and no bike. Both wizards stopped and raised wands when they heard a voice speak. Though they couldn't tell from where it came from, it seemed to echo from all around.

"Beware! You are walking in sacred lands. Leave before we are forced to break the peace between our peoples."

Mark sent a Blasting curse in the direction where he thought he heard the voice. The resulting explosion of dirt and vegetation was greeted by a loud bang. Jason turned in surprise and fear just in time to see his partner's head rocked back spraying reds and greys on the trees and forest behind him. That broken arm wasn't bothering him anymore. He watched horrified as his partner fell lifeless onto the ground.

"No more warning will be given. Leave these lands and do not return," commanded the voice.

"I don't care about your lands! I just want the two kids that crashed through here!" he shouted back.

After a moment, the voice sounded again. "There will be no trophies taken from the bodies of any on these sacred lands. Leave. There is nothing for you here. Your fallen prey is no longer yours to claim."

His face contorted in fear, the Hit Wizard's head spun. Sweet Jesus…I killed Harry Potter… In a panic, the Hit Wizard Apparated away. He'd already decided to get quietly and completely drunk. Most likely, he'd to stay that way for quite some time if he was lucky. If he were even luckier, no one would know what he did.

The voice belonged to an older man who knelt down in the earth beneath him holding a rifle. Once the Hit Wizard had left the area, the man lowered his weapon and turned to look at the scene below him.

A smoking motorcycle lay in ruin only a few feet from him. Beyond the twisted metal that had been a Harley Davidson motorcycle, two bodies, one male and the other female rested. His eyes narrowed as he saw that the people were almost as broken as the machine. The man's dark eyes traveled up a tree to see two birds watching him.

The first was a large tawny owl. Like all owls, she appeared to be wise with her wide, knowing eyes. She seemed to be judging his spirit with her unblinking gaze. Next to her, a raven sat with wings wide and beak half open though no sound came from him. There was a fire in his eyes causing a soft glow of power to be clearly seen. After a moment both birds looked down at the two wounded teens below them and then back to the man.

He blew a piercing whistle through his fingers waiting only a moment for his steed to amble through the brush to him. Meanwhile, he had walked over to the fallen bodies of the two young people. As he set about making a litter for them he could only think one thing:

The Raven and Owl have come at last. Father will be pleased his long wait is almost at an end.

Authors Notes:

Okay, Chapter five revision is done. For those of you interested in the story instead of my drivel, by all means leave a review telling me what you think of this chapter, and then hit that 'Next' button. Enjoy the read. As always thank you to all reviews and readers. You are noticed and appreciated.

Credit where credit is due: A couple of references. The first was a conversation between Polegara and I. Just right before the Hit Wizards show up. The passport joke about being a happy go lucky tourist was something I remembered from and old Remington Steel Episode. A bit obscure but a decent old 80's sitcom.

The motorcycle scene was inspired by a real life event that happened to my brother and my sister-in-law a few years ago. An accident on an old road while they were riding tandem. No serious injuries like our cast but part of the conversation and the fact someone helped get to a hospital right away were taken from their recollections.

Fic Recommendation: The End and the Beginning by muggledad.